Pivoted luggage carrier



F. J. LAHER PIVOTED LUGGAGE CARRIER April 24, 1928. 1,667,208

Filed Feb. 26, 1925 bumper bar especially so if said space is not ffl atented .rhpr. 24, i928.

units!) .s'rn'ras memos PATENT oFrics.

FRANK J. LAHER, OF PORTLAND, GEEGON.

PIVO'IED LUGGAGE CARRIER.

Application filed February 26, 1925. Serial No. 11,764.

My invention relates to luggage carrier attachments for automobiles and es ecially to those that are to be attached to t 1e vehicleiframemembers extending rearwardly from the automobile and carrying. a bumper.

space between the bumper bar supports at" the rear end of the automobile or the devices carried thereby, such for example, a

tire or tire rack. This feature of my present invention is important for the reason that bumpers and their supports, and also automobiles, vary greatly and thus a lugga e carrier adapted to be used with different bumpers and automobiles must be adjustable over a relativel wide range.

A further obgect of my present invention is to provide a luggage carrier which may be secured to the supports for the bumpers rather than directly to the bum er bar; the securing devices being adjustab e to permit the luggage carrier to be extended inwardly of said bumper so as to occupy the entire space between the bumper bar and the rear end of the automobile or devices carried thereby. it thus provide a luggage carrier at the rear end of the automobilev which does not greatly extend its over-all length, if it extends said length at all, inasmuch as the luggage carrier in some vehicles can be,

mounted almost entirely within the space between the rear end of the vehicle and the occupied bye tire or tire rack.

The devices comprising my invention and their relationship, one withanother, are hereinafter described with reference to thedrawings.

-- lln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a tragmentary perspective view of an automobile with a bumper carrier at the rear end thereof and my improved luggage rack carried'thereby, the luggage rack and bumper with its supports being shown in full lines, and the automobile in dotted lines; Y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rear end of the vehicle frame provided with my attachment of which the luggage rack is shown as fully extended, arranged in its horizontal or carrying position r 1g. 3 1s a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the left hand end of the devices shown in- Fig. 2, and shows in dotted lines the luggage rack arranged in vertical position;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective. views of one of the brackets showing details. of construction of my'invcntion hereinafter fully described;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation corresponding with Fig. 4 but showing a modified construction of my invention; and

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 3 show ing t 1e modified mounting devices illustrated in Fig. 7.

My attachment comprises supporting.

members a, a for the bumper bar 1), said supporting members being fastened to the vehicle frame ends a, c of an automobile. The extremities of the supporting members are bent to right angles to provide surfaces to which to secure the bumper bar. As is shown in Fig. 1, said bumper h is arranged so as to extend rearwardly of the rear fenders of the automobile. The tire or tire rack commonly carriedat the rear of automobiles usually extends between the vehicle ends 0, c and thus there is a space between these frame ends and the bumper which is normally unoccupied.

By my invention I utilize said space by mounting my improved luggage carrier 4 on brackets c, e which are adjustably fastened to the supporting members a, a for the bumper at a point slightly rearwardlyof the vehicle frame ends, 0, c, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. By mounting the luggage rack in this manner, I do not increase the overall'length of the automobile by the entire width of the luggage rack, as would be the case if I mounted the luggage carrier directly to the bumper bar b.

On the supporting members a, a are mounted brackets e, e, which are made left and right hand and preferably are clamped to the supporting members a, a by ll-bolts f. Clwo bolts preferably are provided to prevent said bracket e, from twisting about said connection when load is placed upon the luggage rack, and incidentady the U-bolts permit the bracket .9, e to be moved relatively to the bumper, the supporting members a, a beingmade of suflicientlength.

Said brackets e and e are preferably formed from a single piece of metal and shaped as shown in Fig. 5. The portions 6 and e of these brackets are bent at right angles so as to provide strong and rigid supporting surfaces for the luggage carrier (17 and the luggage carried thereon, when the luggage carrier is arranged in its carrying position. If the luggage carrier be suported by the bumper it might in some cases be tilted at an inconvenient angle, since the bumpers on the market which could be'used as one element of my attachment vary so in width.

One of said -bolts f is made with one leg lon er than the other so as to extend through said bent back portion of the brackets e or e as shown in Fig.3.

Fi s. 7 and 8 illustrate other means of adjusta ly mounting the brackets to the supporting members a are provided with a number of holes a, as shown in- Fig. 7 Similarly spaced holes are provided in the bracket a so that bolts 7 can be fastened through said bracket 6 and said support a Said bracket 6 can thus be adjusted longitudiiially on said supporting members a and fastened in any position in which it is thus ad'usted. I

' prefer for mounting the brackets e and e the means shown in Figs. 1 to 4 to the ones last described, and shown in Figs. 'Z and 8, for the reason that said brackets e and c and the luggage rack carried thereby can be adjusted more conveniently. Besides too many holes drilled in the supporting members a would weaken the latter.

ll provide L-shaped members or angle barsgage rack 02 by bolts Said bolts pass through elongated slots 9 in said members or angle bars 9, g. The members thus are adjustable, longitudinally of said rack, to accommodate the spacing betweei he brackets e, e carried by the supporting members a, as. lhe spacing between the frame ends a, 0' ditlers widely in diderent standard makes of automobiles, and also in the spacing of the bumper supports a, a. And therefore I have arranged in attachment so as to accommodate such variations, and my attachment may be used any type of car or bumper.

shown with reference to the rear end of an tomolnlee and to the bumper or other d vices carried at that end it is equally adapted to the frontend thereof and to the bumper memos or other devices carried at that end and thus a I do not wish to be limited in my claims, which are appended hereto, to the rearend of the automobile nor to the bumper carried at said rear end;

I claim:

1. A luggage-carrying attachment for vehicles provided with logitudinally extending carrying members, comprisingbrackets, devices fastening said brackets on saidmembers, each of said brackets formed of one piece and comprising a sole, a ledge normal to the plane 0 the latter, projecting a substantial distance therefrom, and a brace for said ledge bearing against said sole, the latter being provided with a hinge lug projecting above said ledge, and a luggage-rack pivoted between the hinge lugs of said brackets. p 2. A luggage-carrying attachment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extending carrying members, comprising brackets, devices fastening said brackets on said members, each of said brackets formed of one piece andcomprising a sole, a ledge normal to the plane of tlielatter, projecting a substantial distance therefrom, and a brace for said ledge bearing against said sole, the latter being provided with a hinge lug projecting above and located at one side of said ledge and a lu gage-rack pivoted between the hinge lugs 0 said brackets.

all

3. A luggage-carrying attachment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extending carrying members, comprising brackets, devices fastening said brackets on said members, .each of said brackets formed of one piece and comprisin a sole, a ledge normal to the plane oi the atter, projecting a sub stantial distance therefrom, and a brace for said ledge bearing against said sole, the latter bein provided with a hinge lug projectiiig a ve and located at one side of said ledge and a luggage-rack, and means pivotally securing the latter to said hinge lugs of said brackets, said means being adapted to accommodate variations in the space separating said brackets. I

4.: A luggage-carryingattachment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extending carrying members, comprising brackets, devices fastening said brackets on said members, each of saidbraekets formed of one piece and comprising a sole, a ledge normal to the plane of the latter, projecting a substantial distance therefrom, and a brace for said ledge bearing against said sole the latter being provided with a hinge lug projecting above and located at one side of p v said ledge, and an angle iron pivoted to the Although invention is described and hinge lug of each of said brackets, said angle iron provided with one elongated slotted leg, a luggage-rack, and means fastening the same to said slotted leg, such means being adjustable in the slots of the latter.

lllll lll'a are devices fastening said brackets on said members, each of said brackets formed of one piece and comprising a sole, a ledge normal to the plane of the latter, projecting a substantial distance therefrom, and a brace for said ledge bearing against said sole, the latter being provided with a hinge lug projecting above and located at one side of said ledge, and an angle-iron pivoted to the hinge lug of each of said brackets said angle iron provided with one elongated-slotted leg, a

luggage-raclgnieans fastening the same to said slotted leg and bolts secured in the rear frame-member of the rack and extending through the slots of said leg.

6. A luggage carrier attachment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extended carryin member's, comprising a rack and means or supporting the rack on said carrying members, said means including L-shaped brackets having one arm connected to said supporting means respectively and the other arm secured longitudinally adjustable to the rack adjacent the lateral sides thereof, the

supporting means of the rack further including a portion adapted to support the rack when in carrying position.

7. A luggage carrier attachment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extended carryin means or supporting the rack on said carrying members, said means including L-shaped brackets having one arm pivotally connected to said supporting means respectively and the other arm secured longitudinally adj ustable to the rack adjacent the lateral sides thereof, the supporting means of the rack further including a portion adapted to support the rack when in carryin position.

8. A luggage carrier attac ment for vehicles provided with longitudinally extended carrying members, comprising a rack and means for supporting the rack on said carrying members, said-means including L-shaped brackets having one arm pivotally connected to said supporting means respectively and the other arm secured longitudinally adjustable ,to the rack adjacent the lateral sides thereof.

FRANK J. LAHER.

members, comprising a rack and, 

